<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Ignite by JustAnotherWriter (N1ghtshade)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215548">Ignite</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/pseuds/JustAnotherWriter'>JustAnotherWriter (N1ghtshade)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wunderkind-Next Generation [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>MacGyver (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Future Fic, Gen, wunderkind</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:49:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215548</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/pseuds/JustAnotherWriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Matty Webber isn't one to ignore talent when she finds it. And over the years, she's collected a fairly impressive set of potential candidates for the Phoenix, with one thing in common. Angus MacGyver.</p><p>"When you join Phoenix, you leave your past at the door. Whoever you were doesn’t matter. It’s who you are now that counts.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wunderkind-Next Generation [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ignite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Well, here it is, the first installment of the next generation Wunderkind stories! They won't be following the same episode based format as Wunderkind, but they will be occasional little glimpses into the future of the Phoenix. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Annabelle hands the cab driver his money, as well as a generous tip, and steps out of the vehicle, slinging her purse over her shoulder and glancing up at the gleaming windows of the Phoenix Institute for Global Scientific Research looks even more impressive in person than the photos on the website. She reaches for the letter tucked in one pocket of her purse, the thick creamy paper with the embossed letterhead that she had to read four times before she believed it. Behind it is tucked a second envelope, the same cream paper faded with age and grimy, the letter inside spattered with coffee and hair dye and faded where the light from her dorm window hit the bulletin board every morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The letter that got her through four years of CalTech chemical engineering. When she wanted to quit, when all she wanted to do was go back home, the thought that the people at a place like this believed in her made it worth it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The letter is simply signed “M.W.: Oversight.” But that mysterious person, that shadow, has been part of Annabelle’s life since the letter came. The Phoenix is…well, she never thought she’d catch their eye. She wonders if Uncle Mac put in a good word for her. He works there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushes the door open and shows her most recent letter to the secretary at the front desk, who hands her a visitor badge and a map of the complex. The areas outlined in blue are the ones her badge will get her to, and beyond that is a sea of red. Annabelle wonders what’s in there. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably high tech science stuff. Mac’s always inventing the next thing that’s going to save the world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her instructions, printed on much less fancy paper than the letterhead, say to go to a room labeled as “W. Room.” It’s there on the map, a large room that apparently looks out on the side of the building and has, when she finds it, massive frosted-glass walls. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Something about this place feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>familiar.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Some kind of bone-deep awareness that these hallways are part of her. Like she’s been looking for this specific place her whole life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But her attention is quickly distracted by the people on the benches outside. “Val?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Val Lawson stands up quickly. “Anna!” She says, hurrying forward to wrap Annabelle in a hug. “I didn’t expect to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> so soon!” Annabelle grins, Val came to her graduation with her dad, just like Annabelle and her mom went to Val’s. And apparently, they both got letters. And were able to obey the instructions not to tell anyone else about them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Until I got a single room, I made sure to keep mine tucked out of sight. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least one of you is a familiar face,” Val says. She nods at her fellow bench residents. “I have no idea who they are.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan Jericho,” The boy with the curly hair and green eyes says, standing up. He says it like it’s supposed to mean something to her. Annabelle frowns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know you?” She bites her lip a second later. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mama would be furious at you for letting your mouth run off. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.” His smile gets a little more genuine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Annabelle Pena. You definitely don’t know me.” She shrugs and pulls out her letter. “You get one too?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He frowns. “I don’t know why a think tank of all places wants to hire me. I double majored in finance and linguistics. Val here says she’s a robotics engineer, so that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got my letter before I even went to college,” Annabelle says. “And then I walked for my diploma yesterday and as soon as I got offstage, some redhaired woman handed me this envelope with just my name on it and then disappeared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine came in the mail,” Val says. “But…it was weird, because it was in my office box but it hadn’t gone through the lab’s postal check system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine came to an address that my dad keeps unlisted,” Ethan says. “No one but he and I are supposed to know where that place is.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weird,” Annabelle says. “And you? Brooding hero?” She glances at the last member of the bench crowd. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy just shrugs. His face is mostly hidden by the upturned collars of his jacket and a sweep of black bangs. “I got mine in the mailbox. Don’t see why they want me of all people, so I came to find out.” He shrugs. “Name’s Cassian Wallace.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabelle sits down, digging out her letter. “I know what you mean. I mean, I’m honored, but I didn’t even graduate in the top of my major. I got honors, but not…well, school wasn’t my thing, and then I blew up the chemistry lab. Or part of it. I would have gotten suspended way longer than two weeks if the prof didn’t tell them it was all a mistake.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassian looks like he wants to say something, but he stops at the sound of shoes slapping the tile floor. A woman holding a tablet walks up, then glances at them. Annabelle thinks she looks familiar, but she’s having trouble placing the friendly brown face and the wide smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, all of you, I’m Abina Davis. It looks like you’re all early, which is wonderful. Just what the boss wants to see.” She glances at Annabelle and Val. “I know you two, but you may not remember me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re Riley’s little sister, aren’t you?” Val says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. It’s been a few years.” Abina shifts, and a familiar cream paper slides off the top of her tablet and falls to the floor. Annabelle grabs it and hands it back. “You got one too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been working in Phoenix’s tech center since I graduated, helping R&amp;D develop more sustainable recycling techniques and technology that leaves less of a carbon footprint.” Agent Davis says. “And they still sent me an official letter. I would have expected an internal email memo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder why us, why now?” Cassian says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So far, we have nothing in common?” Ethan asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing that ties all of us together,” Valerie says. “Annabelle and I know each other from before this, though. Uncle Mac introduced us. And Abina is…well, she’s Riley’s sister, which I guess makes her Mac’s sister too, cause Mac’s dad adopted Riley too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mac.” Ethan says. “That wouldn’t be as in MacGyver, would it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. That’s Uncle Mac,” Annabelle says. “You know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I met him once, and then he stayed in touch, mostly phone and video calls,” Ethan says. “My family moved around a lot, Dad was always busy. But he made sure to talk to me at the same time each month no matter what time zone I was in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like Mac,” Annabelle says. “One time when Mama’s car broke down he came and picked me up from college for Christmas break.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He brought me care packages every semester, full of broken phones and DVD players and lots of other cool stuff,” Val says. “Maybe this is what we all have in common. Cassian, do you know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Cassian’s voice is soft, subdued. “I met him when I was a kid too.” Annabelle frowns. Something’s wrong. But then the door opens, and a blonde woman glances into the hall. “Oversight’s ready for you,” She says, her voice thick with an Aussie accent. Val’s eyes have gone wide. Clearly she recognizes this person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Director Samantha Cage.” The blonde woman shakes hands with all of them as they step inside. “And this is Oversight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A short woman with silvery hair stands up from a chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Matilda Webber.” Annabelle thinks she probably looks like someone shoved her finger in a light socket. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Matty? She’s the M.W.? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Annabelle has known Matty for years, Matty always took her and Mama to go visit Papa. She said it was because the treatment program he was in was set up by Phoenix researchers. Something is very, very strange here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sent the letters?” Annabelle asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did.” She smiles at them. “And I assure you, they were not mistakes.” She glances at Cassian when she says it, and he turns his head aside shyly. Something is going on here. Annabelle pushes that to the back of her mind to worry about later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I sent you those letters because ever since your first contact with the Phoenix, you have proved yourselves to be exemplary young people, the kind of people we hope to attract to this agency.” She smiles. “Yes, we are an agency. As of today, you four are being brought into the true nature of this organization. Abina is already aware of what we are, and some of the rest of you have likely suspected. The Phoenix is a clandestine government agency working to provide solutions to problems other agencies are not equipped to solve. We value intelligence, creativity, and outside the box problem solving. All of which you are more than capable of. We also value discreet members who can keep their true work a secret. All of you followed the instructions in your letter and shared that with no one else. I know that I can trust you to preserve this agency’s cover.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been waiting to hear something like this since I got my Phoenix letter,” Val says. “I haven’t forgotten BRUNO. I knew this was more than a think tank.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we’re not combatants,” Cassian says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s precisely why I’ve chosen you. All my life in covert operations, I watched strike teams that relied on their brawn and their weapons. And then I took a job at Phoenix and met someone who changed everything I know about clandestine ops. I believe all of you know Angus MacGyver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mac!” Annabelle says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, kiddo.” Mac wraps her in a familiar hug. “I’m glad you made it. And Val too,” He smiles, reaching for her. Annabelle can tell he’s testing the waters, some days Val is not a touch-friendly person. Annabelle can tell by whether she’s wearing a necklace or not, but Mac probably hasn’t spent enough time around her to put the pattern together. Val steps into the hug, and Mac grins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You knew? All this time? When I got my letter?” she asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Matty swore me to secrecy, and frankly, I’m scared not to follow her rules,” he says with a chuckle. “Trust me, first lesson of the Phoenix, do not cross Matty unless you have the best reason ever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe it.” Ethan says. “So all that crazy stuff you did to get me away from those kidnappers, you do that all the time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did,” Mac corrects. “Jack retired a couple years back, and I stopped running active field ops. It didn’t feel right without him.” He smiles. “I work in R&amp;D now. Which is definitely still a challenge in itself.” He glances at Cassian. “Hey, it’s good to see you again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassian stares at the floor. “Hey Mac.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Director Cage clears her throat. “As fun as this heart to heart is, there’s a mission briefing going to be needing this room in ten. So you might want to wait and take this little family reunion to the cafeteria.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Mac reaches into the knapsack Annabelle rarely sees him without, and pulls out a handful of small boxes.“You five are going to save the world with science, intelligence, and a little bit of improvising.” Mac says. “Your mission, if you choose to accept it.” He holds the boxes out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been waiting to get a field assignment since I started,” Abina says, taking a box.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I specifically asked Dad to teach me how to drive like him after I got my letter,” Val says. “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Ethan says, and he and Annabelle reach for a box at the same time. Their hands collide, and both of them pull back, shaking their fingers. Ethan nods for Annabelle to go first, and she finally gives in, taking one of the surprisingly heavy little boxes from Mac.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassian is the only one who hasn’t moved. Mac glances at him. “Cassian? There’s a place here for you, you know that, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m the right choice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I asked that question a long time ago, myself,” Mac says, and there’s a world of something shadowy and hurt, but also hopeful, in his eyes. “You and I aren’t so different. Believe me, we are making the right choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassian reaches out as quick as a kitten batting a ball under a couch, grabs the box, and pulls his hand back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mac looks at all of them. “When you join Phoenix, you leave your past at the door. Whoever you were doesn’t matter. It’s who you are now that counts.” He looks each of them in the eyes, stopping on Cassian. “In the Phoenix, it doesn’t matter who your family is, or isn’t.” Both Ethan and Cassian look away, and Annabelle feels an uncomfortable little gnawing in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Papa serving a life sentence in a highly secure hidden prison. “It doesn’t even matter what you’ve done, up to now. The Phoenix is a symbol of rising from ashes. Of letting what was burn, so that you can emerge stronger.” He rubs at his shoulder, and Annabelle sees the edges of the tattoo he has poking out of the partly unbuttoned shirt. She’s never seen it in full, but she can tell it’s flames. It probably is a phoenix. “Whatever you want to leave behind, this is your chance.” Annabelle smiles. “When you walk out that door, you don’t have to be the same person who walked in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods to them. “Now, since you’re all in, might as well get used to your new tools.” There’s a ribbon tied around Annabelle’s box, and on top of it there’s a small paperclip bent into the shape of a bird in flight. She tucks both the paperclip and the ribbon into her pocket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside her box is a phone that Annabelle can already tell is top-of-the-line, probably Riley and Abina’s work, and underneath that, a box of paperclips, a package of chewing gum, and a red Swiss Army knife. Annabelle already has one, Mac gave it to her when she graduated high school. But she knows what this means. She flips the knife over. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Phoenixes</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Beside the word, there’s an etching of a bird rising from flames. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A chance for a fresh start.</span>
  </em>
  <span> If Phoenix offered her nothing other than that, she’d still want to be here. Right here, right now, she gets to decide who Annabelle Pena really is. And she’s ready. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>